Beauty Digest: The Power of YouTube

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Eleven years ago, YouTube was still in its infancy and the term “beauty blogger” was yet to be invented. Some of the girls whose followers reach the highest realms of seven digits today were still in primary school back then.

Nonetheless, in a few short years, resourceful women everywhere have found a way to make their mark on the beauty industry, and have opened the door to countless YouTube channels devoted to swatches, tutorials, reviews and sneak previews.

If you don’t follow the industry, and are not in the least interested in makeup or beauty products, you will most likely view the army of bloggerinas as a bunch of silly girls, talking to a camera about the insane amount of money they’ve spent on a product they didn’t need.

Beauty is, however, not at all skin deep, and there is much your teen girl can learn from a beauty blogger. Having several million people value your opinion, be it about mascara, does not make you a silly girl – it makes you an industry influencer.

Do what you love and take no prisoners

Whatever else they may be – beauty bloggers, especially YouTubers, are fearless. They open themselves up to an insane amount of criticism with every new piece they publish, and are often made a target. The Internet is in truth a very hurtful place, and however delightful a person you may be, especially if you are at all successful, the herd of those aiming nothing but to belittle you will soon catch on.

Coping with the hate is a valuable lesson to learn at an early age – the world is not at all like the fairytales we cushion our children in when they are young. It has thorns and spikes, and will eventually try to hurt you.

A great example of a YouTuber who can stand up to the hate is Nikkie, the smile behind NikkieTutorials. Her video, The Power of Makeup, has over thirty million views, and explains in under seven minutes why women love makeup, and more to the point – why you need to let go of the negative comments, and do what you love.

This lesson of course applies to more than just what you put on your face. It takes a lot to stand by your choices, and learning to do so can be a most empowering lesson.

Be who you are and answer to no one

Who you are is sometimes frowned upon by others. Both the playground and high school halls are often the setting of bickering, teasing, even violence. Staying authentic – when you don’t fall into the molds predefined by society – is often nothing but hardship, and teaching your teen to stay true to her own voice becomes increasingly difficult as time marches on, and the influence of others becomes more evident.

Even though it may seem far fetched – there is a lot a self-confident and don’t-give-a-damn-about-what-you-think YouTuber can impact on others. Love him or hate him, you need to admit that Jeffree Star cares nothing about your poor opinion, which is the point I am trying to make. Learning to stay true to your own self, however different that person may be, is difficult to master, and Jeffree can help you get there. He can also teach you a thing or two about highlighting.

Turn your passion into a paycheck

Ultimately, the truth is there is a lot of money to be made on YouTube, and a fortune often comes with the fame. However, in order to monetize your expertise and know-how, you will need to master the antics of entrepreneurship and get the hang of social media. However easy it may seem – you film a funny video talking about a bunch of expensive products, upload it, tweet a bit – there is a lot more to reaching several million subscribers than a couple of mouse clicks.

There is also a lot more to YouTube than videos – take the example of Jaclyn Hill, who has recently landed (another) deal with Becca Cosmetics. In order to achieve that, you need to turn yourself into a brand – and that is a lesson for anyone.

Perseverance, drive, throwdown, chasing your dreams no matter how wild they may seem is not just the stuff of modern fairytales – it should be a part of your mental workings as well. Whatever you think about insta-fame, the simple truth is that social media influencers have found something they are extremely good at, and are thriving in these turbulent waters. Take a leaf from their book, and apply their force of personality to your own sphere of life.

The workings of modern media

In case you haven’t noticed, the media are no longer anything like they used to be, and the world wide web can carry more weight than countless paid television ads. We are no longer forced to believe one source of information, and teaching your child to question predefined answers, get a second opinion, explore, and nurture an inquisitive mind is a gift that will never lose its value.

In the world of beauty, this means there are countless lists of top people to follow: best UK based beauty bloggers, best New Zealand bloggers, people to follow from every continent, who have risen from obscurity and who have something to say. Every single individual has a distinct opinion, and no matter how vast the world seems, you come to realize people are still much the same. If you have a message – you can get it across, if you persevere.

 

Be it disdain or admiration you feel towards the insane amount of subscribers some bloggers have – you have to admit they are very good at what they do, and have put a lot of work into their chosen profession. While not all of us may need seventy palettes and forty lipsticks – and while you may think the rise of the beauty industry is telling of the state our society is in – think again. Excelling at what you do is never a thing to deplore, and learning to cope with the negativity may also come in handy. Before you throw your next disdainful comment, think again about the values you teach and preach.

Yes – we do put too much emphasis on beauty. But being beautiful is not about the makeup you can or can’t afford. It’s about who you are – which is exactly what the creme de la creme of YouTube can teach you, if you let them.

samanthaolivier
Samantha has a B.Sc. in nutrition, and has spent two years working as a personal trainer. Since then, she has embarked on a mission to conquer the blogosphere. You can read more of her posts at Ripped.me